Chorizo Cassoulet Soup
I present cassoulet's slightly Spanish, fast-lane hustler relative - the cassou-liar.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chorizo, finely diced
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
400g can white beans, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
1 large potato, skin on, grated
1 tomato, grated
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 litres chicken stock
100g baby spinach (or any leafy greens, or skip entirely if you want to be properly French about it)
For the cheesy garlic bread
2 Turkish rolls
100g herby garlic butter, thinly sliced (or simply mash 100g butter with 1 minced garlic clove)
100g tasty cheese, thinly sliced
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced.
In a large saucepan, saute the chorizo and onion in the olive oil until sizzling and golden, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Stir in the beans, basil, potato, fresh tomato and tomato paste, combining well for a minute.
Add the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, carve slices 2cm apart into the bread, without cutting all the way through, and fill each slice with butter and cheese, allowing some cheese to stick out so it melts onto the top.
Line a sheet of foil with baking paper large enough to fit the bread, place the bread in, and scrunch the foil up so the bread sits in a sort of open-topped foil bath.
Place in the oven on a tray and bake until golden and bubbling, 10-15 minutes.
Stir the spinach into the soup for the final 5 minutes of simmering.
Serve the soup with the cheesy garlic bread alongside for dunking.
HINTS
The weirdest thing about this soup is the grated potato and how it doesn't really break down, holding its integrity with more resilience than a cube of the same starch. Scientists, explain.
Make a double batch of the herby garlic butter next time you're using it for steak, and keep a log in the freezer - it means this soup comes together even faster next time.
Leave the top of the foil parcel open when baking the garlic bread; it lets the cheese turn properly golden rather than just melting flat.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: 14,800 kJ (3530 cal)
Protein: 130 g
Fat: 225 g
Saturated fat: 110 g
Carbohydrate: 225 g
Sugars: 20 g
Fibre: 25 g
Sodium: 7500 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.